Monday, November 24, 2014

Lookouts

Today's lookouts by the Little Union Canal.

Lady Wood Ducks on lookout duty.

These lookouts reminded me today of the fairy tale cry of Mrs. Bluebeard, "Anne, sister Anne, do you see anyone coming?" And the repeated reply, " I see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, which is green." This call-and-response is repeated several times. Then she sees the dust, which is caused by a flock of sheep, and finally the dust caused by the coming of their two brothers on horseback, who will save them. I think poets could learn a lot from the varied repetitions in oft-told stories such as this one. I am partial to the Andrew Lang books of differing colors. And my favorite fairy tale books are English Fairy Tales and More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs. There are a wealth of the older editions of fairy tales of all nations available very cheaply on Kindle. I like these older editions because of their rich vocabularies and uncensored evil and bloodiness. They make recent versions designed to "protect" children and be easier for them to read seem very dull.

WHAT I CAN DO

The television has two instruments that control it.

I get confused.

The washer asks me, do you want regular or delicate?

Honestly, I just want clean.

Everything is like that.

I won't mention cell phones.

I can turn on the lamp beside my chair

where a book is waiting, but that's about it

Oh yes, and I can strike a match and make fire.

Mary Oliver

The Blue Horses, Penguin Press HC, 2014

Kindle location 98

I thought to work with something shorter tonight because I am still thinking seriously about Philip Levine's poem that I put on the blog post two nights ago. And I don't want to overdo the mental strain. ..